United Gulf Financial Services-North Africa Launches "Seed of Change Fund" to Boost Tunisian Agriculture
United Gulf Financial Services-North Africa (UGFS-NA) continues to make a positive impact in the investment capital sector with its new impact fund, "Seed of Change Fund". This initiative is the result of a partnership with Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE), a regional program funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provided the necessary technical assistance and expertise for the fund's setup.
This impact fund is the first to tackle the major challenges faced by small and medium-sized farmers, primarily related to productivity and margin degradation, access to financing, climate change, and water consumption.
The "Seed of Change Fund" is an impact investment fund in Tunisia aiming to empower farmers by investing in key actors in their value chain to make their agricultural process profitable, intelligent, and sustainable. The fund's vision is to drive a theory of change that transforms agricultural methods and practices to generate a positive impact on the living conditions of small farmers (income), their land (sustainable agriculture), and the environment (water consumption optimization and carbon footprint reduction).
The fund's strategy is based on a balanced investment approach that reconciles financial aspects with social and environmental considerations. Transparency and the measurement of real returns and impacts are prioritized, with active management to optimize social and environmental impacts in different regions.
Several key players in the agricultural value chain have expressed interest in collaborating with the fund, as well as renowned financial institutions that have previously partnered with UGFS in launching its investment funds.
This ambitious project demonstrates UGFS-NA's sustained commitment to agriculture and economic development in Tunisia, highlighting a 15% improvement in agricultural production, a 20% reduction in agricultural input costs, and a 30% reduction in water consumption, resulting in the creation and improvement of over 10,000 jobs, with a significant proportion attributed to women and higher education graduates.
United Gulf Financial Services-North Africa (UGFS-NA) is a fund manager and a major player in Tunisia's investment capital sector, managing a total asset of over 220 million dinars with 20 managed funds and a portfolio of over 130 startups and SMEs to date.
